David Bolton What Happens to Your Access Control System When the Power Goes Out Why Backup Power Is a Core Part of Any Access Control Design This article explains how battery backup works in commercial access control systems, what happens to electrified door hardware when buildin... access control battery backup electrified hardware life safety power supply Jul 23, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Panic Hardware in Assembly Occupancies: What the Occupant Load Threshold Actually Triggers What This Article Covers and Who It Helps If you are specifying, bidding, or inspecting door hardware in a theater, arena, conference center, house of worship, banquet hall, or any other assembly-use ... assembly occupancy code compliance exit devices life safety panic hardware Jul 13, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Fire Door Inspector Certification: What the FDAI Credential Actually Requires and Why It Changes Your Inspection Walk Who This Article Is For and What It Covers This article explains the fire door assembly inspector (FDAI) certification process, what the credential actually tests, and how the inspection checklist con... FDAI certification NFPA 80 compliance fire door hardware fire door inspection life safety Jul 7, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Latchbolt Monitoring on Fire-Rated Electric Strikes: Why the Auxiliary Switch Gets Ignored Until the Access Control Report Flags an Unlatched Door What This Article Covers and Who It Helps This guide explains the monitoring outputs built into fire-rated electric strikes—specifically the latchbolt monitor and locking cam monitor found on heavy-du... access control door monitoring electric strikes fire-rated hardware life safety Jun 14, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Fire-Rated SVR Exit Devices: Why the Door Label Drives Every Hardware Decision on a Labeled Opening What This Article Covers — and Who Needs It When a project calls for a surface vertical rod (SVR) exit device on a fire-rated opening, most of the critical decisions are already made the moment someon... NFPA 80 compliance SVR panic hardware exit devices fire-rated hardware life safety Apr 23, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Dogging a Rim Exit Device: When the Feature Helps and When It Gets You in Trouble What This Article Covers Dogging is one of the most useful features on a rim exit device — and one of the most frequently misapplied. This guide explains what dogging does, which door types and occupa... code compliance dogging exit devices life safety rim exit devices Apr 23, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Rim Exit Devices on Wide Doors: A Specifier's Guide to Getting the 48-Inch Opening Right Why the 48-Inch Door Width Is a Pivot Point in Exit Device Specification A 48-inch-wide door is one of the widest single-leaf openings you will routinely encounter in commercial construction. It shows... commercial door hardware egress hardware exit devices life safety rim panic hardware Apr 22, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Fire-Rated Access Doors: What Contractors and Facility Managers Need to Know What Is a Fire-Rated Access Door? A fire-rated access door is a listed assembly that provides maintenance personnel or inspectors entry to concealed building systems -- think plumbing valves, electric... code compliance commercial door hardware facility maintenance fire-rated access doors life safety Apr 22, 2026 Our Blog
